WTC final | Kohli, Shastri bullish as India prepare to take off for 'one heck of event'
The Indian team management led by the head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli has echoed the sentiments of Test specialist players and said that the World Test Championship is one of the biggest, if not the biggest test for the side and the Indian team has earned very right in ‘one heck of an event.’
"It's the first you have a WTC final. When you look at the magnitude of the game, it's going to be the biggest. It's a format that Tests you. Teams have played each other around the world and earned the rights to play in the final," said India head coach Ravi Shastri.
Kohli said that the side takes a lot of pride in their ascendency in the longest format and they value the WTC final a lot as the tournament has been ‘one of its kind’ in the world of cricket.
"I agree. This holds a lot of value. All of us take a lot of pride in playing Test cricket. This is like an accumulation of hard work for all of us. Just very happy to play in the finals," said Virat Kohli.
On the question of whether New Zealand will have an upper hand due to a series scheduled just prior to the WTC final, Kohli was bullish about his team’s chances and reminded the press about India’s remarkable win over Australia in their own backyard when all the conditions were favourable to the hosts.
"Conditions are as potent for New Zealand as they are for us. Conditions in Australia should've favoured them too. It's about how you look at things. If you want us to think that NZ will have an advantage before boarding the flight, then it's that otherwise we feel we are equal," Kohli asserted.
Ravi Shastri also opined that the ICC should consider hosting a three-match series as the final of the Test Championship if they want to continue with the tournament going forward. However, he said that the side wants to finish this tournament quickly and achieve a ‘final great victory.’
"A best of three final will perhaps be a better thing going ahead. But one-off is a one-off. The guys have earned their rights. This wasn't built overnight. These guys have been No.1 for a long time," said Shastri.
The duo was also asked if the tour of England will be the final frontier for the men in blue after a historic triumph in Australia. Kohli rejected the idea of such an adjective and said that his side has always been eager to win. He further added that he wanted to take the Indian team into a forward direction which is a never-ending process without any final frontier.
'Don't think this is the final frontier or anything. We have worked hard to reach here. For us, it's about keeping those standards hard. It's like football, if you win one Champions League, you don't stop, you just want to keep winning," said Virat Kohli.
Kohli was also reminded of India’s failure to win ICC trophies in the recent past in England such as the ICC Champions Trophy and the ODI World Cup in 2019 and was asked if he is under pressure leading into the World Test Championship final.
Kohli once again rejected such claims and said that he never thinks in line with people ‘outside’ and instead focuses on improving his and his side’s game through his best efforts and he will not feel any pressure as well till the time he is putting his hands up in terms of solving his teammates’ problems and growing the team.
“No pressure on me. If we think like people outside, then it will not help. This final is the time for us to enjoy. All that matters is we put in the effort,” Kohli said.
India will first play the WTC final starting June 18 in Southampton followed by a five-match long Test series against the hosts England starting August 04 in Nottingham.
